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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29573922">Detachment</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alxariam/pseuds/Alxariam'>Alxariam</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>OMORI (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>All the other messed up shit that happens in OMORI, Anxiety, Depression, Eventual sunburn but it's going to take a bit, F/M, General tomfoolery, Hijinks &amp; Shenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:08:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29573922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alxariam/pseuds/Alxariam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sunny leaves his house for the first time since Mari died 2 years ago. He didn't mean to, but now he's being dragged into whatever insanity this pack of weird kids get up to. Sunny just wants to go back to sleep.<br/>~<br/>In which Sunny accidentally joins The Hooligans</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aubrey/Sunny (OMORI)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>483</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sunny awoke to the warmth of sunlight cresting over the trees and onto his face. While it’s true that this was how he normally woke up, he was <em>pretty</em> sure he hadn’t actually fallen asleep… let alone gone outside to do it. So how the heck did he even get here? His grasp on reality was tenuous at best these days, but he liked to think he had a pretty good understanding of his dreams and reclusive lifestyle. At the very least, he would have remembered switching over to Omori.</p><p><em>‘Let’s see… I remember getting up to get some water… Saw </em>someone’s<em> dead body in the bathroom mirror… Faucet broke and flooded the entire house in seconds, probably a hallucination…’ </em>He sure hoped so, anyways. He did not feel up to explaining how he filled the house with water to his mom… Well, he supposed she’d actually have to be home to see that, so not much danger either way.</p><p>‘…<em>And then Mari’s ghost said she regretted saving me from drowning.’ </em>Probably also a hallucination, but it’s not like he’d blame Mari for actually coming back as a ghost and saying that to him. He looked around some, and understanding came to him as he realized where he was. <em>‘Oh, that’s right… I went to the lake behind the park to drown myself. Geez, when did I get so melodramatic?’ </em>He mocked himself, feeling oddly detached from the situation.</p><p>He wasn’t sure what to feel about his situation in all honesty. Breaking his 2-year streak of isolation by hallucinating the ghost of his dead sister and then spacing out before he could go through with killing himself was… pretty embarrassing, actually. How did he even get here in the middle of the night? This place had zero lights to speak of. Even with the sun rising he couldn’t see all that well. He could have tripped and fallen and broken his-</p><p>He cut <em>that</em> thought off before it could sink its teeth into him. He shook his head and stared into the cloudy waters of the lake, wondering if he should just finish what he started, but he felt too wrung out to muster any real desire to drown himself anymore. Well, at least he’d be able to tell his mom that he got some actual sunlight for once. Hopefully, she would just take it at face value without asking any questions.</p><p>He shook his head again to clear his thoughts and turned to go back home to bed, already feeling exhaustion drag at his limbs. However, he was stopped in place by the sight of a childish grinning face with a <em>ridiculous</em> haircut. Did people actually have pompadours? He thought that was just an anime thing. Was he <em>sure</em> he hadn’t fallen asleep?</p><p>“Dude, you’re OK!” The younger boy smiled and threw an arm around his shoulder. Oh wow, he hadn’t realized how touch starved he was. He wanted to be upset about the invasion of his personal space, but this was kind of nice actually. “You really had me worrying there for a bit! I thought something was wrong with you and I’d have to call someone but they’re already not happy with me for the last time I called them but how was I supposed to know swallowing watermelon seeds wasn’t a medical emergency because I heard that shit will just grow in your stomach and-”</p><p>Oh… Oh man, this was a lot. Should he… say something? What <em>could</em> he say? The only person that he’s talked to in years was his mom, and she never expected him to say anything. Shit, he wasn’t paying attention to what the kid was saying because he was trying to think of a response and <em>shit </em>he wasn’t paying attention <em>again</em>. Oh god, now this kid was looking at him like he expected something. Should he run away? No good, the kid still had his arm over his shoulder. Alright Sunny, just <em>play it cool</em>.</p><p>Sunny nodded.</p><p>“Sweet!” The kid cheered while pumping his fist up. Sunny held back a sigh of relief, thankful he hadn’t screwed things up yet. “Come on, let’s get going!” The kid started walking, pulling Sunny along with him. Ah crap, he’d agreed to something without knowing what. Now he was going to be stuck <em>socializing</em>. Surely he’d get bored with Sunny and let him go soon, right? He just needed to play it cool for a little longer and he’d be back in bed in no time. No problem. He could do this. Oh crap, the kid was talking again. Maybe if he just kept nodding, the kid wouldn’t notice anything…</p>
<hr/><p>Apparently he had agreed to go to Hobbeez. Certainly not the worst thing that could’ve happened from following a stranger, but that didn’t make it any less awkward for him. Why was this store even open at sunrise? The owner was literally sleeping in front of the cash register when they walked in. Who the hell comes here early enough to warrant being open for? He glanced at the chattering kid. Right, stupid question. Come to think of it, what the heck were they doing at the lake in the middle of the night anyways? He thought about asking but immediately decided he didn’t care <em>that </em>much. Also wow, this kid was still talking. He should probably try to find an escape soon.</p><p>“-And this card right here is my favorite because he’s got <em>skulls</em> as armor. How cool is that?!” Sunny opened his mouth. “And <em>this</em> one right here is the best card I have! It’s so good that Kim threatened to break my spine if I ever used it against her again. Actually, that was the first time that I ever-” Sunny closed his mouth. Did this kid never breathe? Sunny was tired just watching him… then again, when wasn’t he tired? He did have a point about the skulls though, that was pretty badass. God he wanted to sleep. Would this kid notice if he took a nap right now? Ah wait, probably shouldn’t sleep in public. Didn’t want to have a nightmare and traumatize this poor kid with his reaction.</p><p>Sunny was dragged out of his rambling thoughts by the bell over the front door ringing. <em>‘Why is the sun in the middle of the sky now? Have I really been here that long?’</em> God, he should’ve been in bed or hyperventilating on the staircase <em>hours</em> ago. <em>‘…Come to think of it, I’ve barely hallucinated all day.’ </em>To punctuate this thought, he pointedly looked away from the poster in the back of the store. If he didn’t look at it, then that meant it didn’t count as a real hallucination.</p><p>“Hey Angel. You ready to go yet?” Sunny just barely stopped himself from jumping at the deep voice from next to him. Sunny turned to look and- Oh wow, this guy was <em>big</em>.</p><p>“’Sup Vance! Yeah, I’m ready whenever. You mind if I bring someone along?” The kid (apparently named Angel) waved at the new arrival while throwing his arm around Sunny’s shoulder again. Was that why he had a shirt with wings on it? They certainly did look like angel wings. Shouldn’t they be on the back of the shirt, though? Sunny had so many questions. Vance eyed Sunny for a bit, but kept his thoughts to himself.</p><p>“Hey. Name’s Vance. Nice to meet you.” He then stuck his hand out and stared expectantly at him. Sunny stared at his hand, wondering what he was supposed to do. Wait, duh, hand shake. He wasn’t <em>that</em> far gone. Good job, Sunny, you remembered how social interaction works. “…Uh, alright then.” The guy put his hand down before Sunny could shake his hand. Dang it. “Psst, where did you find this guy?” Vance leaned over and whispered to Angel, but still loud enough that he could hear.</p><p>“I found him spacing out by the lake. Don’t worry though, he’s cool! I’ll vouch for him!” Sunny could hear the grin without even looking at him. He felt weirdly touched that Angel would vouch for him despite barely knowing him. Ah, but then again, that was probably why he did it. If he actually knew Sunny, he wouldn’t do that.</p><p>“That so? Does <em>he</em> have a name?” Vance addressed the question to Angel, but it was clear he was confused as to why Sunny wasn’t the one answering. Sunny didn’t know either. Once again, he wished he was back in bed.</p><p>“Um… I dunno? He doesn’t really talk much… He doesn’t talk at all, actually. He’s great at listening, though!” No he wasn’t. He had barely listened to a single word Angel had said all day. He didn’t even remember the walk over here.</p><p>“Well, I already like him more than The Maverick… Fine, he can come with, but if he narcs on us then I’ll kick <em>both</em> your asses.” He threatened with a clenched fist, but there was no real heat behind the threat.</p><p>“Awesome!” Angel held his hand up for a high five. Sunny stared at his hand, not quite connecting the dots that he was supposed to be participating. After a long and awkward moment, Angel gently grabbed his wrist and lightly clapped Sunny’s hand against his own. “Yeah! Just like that!”</p><p>“…Whatever man, he’s your problem. Grab your shit and let’s go. I want to get this done before Kim gets back.” Vance was already leaving before he finished talking.</p><p>“OK!” Angel threw his arm around Sunny and half-dragged him along, not bothering to take anything from the table. Was he talking about Sunny? Now that’s just rude. “We’re gonna go steal some candy from next door; I always get a bigger cut when Kim’s not here, and I think Vance does too.” Sunny stared blankly at him. “Don’t worry, it’s easy! Even if we get caught, the owner will just kick us out.” Angel reassured him, despite Sunny not feeling overly worried to begin with.</p><p><em>‘…Did I just join a gang?’</em> Sunny wondered. <em>‘Wow, that was easy. Those after school PSAs were right.'</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Angel: "Wow, he's such a good listener!"<br/>Sunny, internally: -Mii Channel theme looping endlessly-</p><p>Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! It's been hard for me to write since I've been stuck at home since May, but I loved OMORI so much that I just HAD to create something for the fandom. So, here is my offering. I have... very little plans for this fic, so it's mostly going to be hijinks. However, Aubrey will eventually come into play, and... yeah, things will get heavier there. Anyways, I won't spoil too much here. See you guys next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Here’s the plan, so pay attention.” Vance spoke as the doors to Othermart opened before them. The comment was directed towards Angel, but Sunny felt it probably should have been aimed at him. “Angel, you’re on grab duty with me.” Angel saluted with a terrifying grin. “New guy, you don’t look like you can carry much without passing out, but that’s fine. You look harmless enough that nobody will suspect you, so you’re on lookout.” Sunny nodded, not at all offended. That was the nicest way anyone had ever called him nonthreatening in his life.</p><p>“Aww, looks like Master isn’t working today…” Angel said sadly as they walked past the bakery. That was probably the saddest tone Sunny had heard from him since they met. Sunny awkwardly pat his back twice with a blank look and received a happy grin in return.</p><p>“Eh, Mav sucks at stealth anyways.” Vance shrugged, then said nothing more as they walked into the candy shop. The employee posted by the door narrowed her eyes at their group, but she didn’t say anything as they moved to the back of the store. After a quick peek into the aisle to make sure it was empty, Vance and Angel darted into the aisle and started grabbing everything in sight. “Angel, I got this shelf, you grab the other one. New guy, give us a signal if you see someone coming.” Vance instructed without even looking at him.</p><p>Sunny wasn’t sure he was mentally equipped for this task. Some of his disbelief must have shown on his face because Angel grinned reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry, it’s easy! Just shout if- uh, hm.” Angel paused as he realized what he was asking from him. “Just… um, distract them? Yeah, just distract them until we can get out of here! You’ll be fine!” Then he threw a thumbs up in his direction and went back to his looting.</p><p>If anything, Angel’s reassurances just made him more doubtful. Sunny wasn’t worried about his ability to distract others; Sunny was worried about distracting himself. He was already trying not to think about whether the color “bubblegum pink” was named after bubblegum, or if bubblegum was named after the color. It was taking all of his self-control and he was pretty sure he’d already spaced out for a few minutes in the middle of this. Being a person is hard.</p><p>Sunny looked back into the aisle to see how much progress had been made since he began his watch. The sight was equal parts comical and disheartening. Vance appeared to be stuck deciding on which brand of taffy was better, and Angel was pouring whatever candy he could grab down the front of his shirt… where it then unceremoniously fell to the floor. Weren’t they supposed to be <em>good</em> at this? Sunny stared on in mild horror for several seconds before he decided it wasn’t his problem and turned back around to guard the entrance to the aisle.</p><p>Hmm, did ‘aisle’ have anything in common with ‘isle’? The shelves kind of looked like islands if you imagined the store was an ocean… Did that make them pirates? Pirates were cool. Sunny always thought he could pull off an eye patch. Maybe he could get a parrot or- Wait, focus! He was doing it again! He looked behind him and was relieved to see he hadn’t lost any time to that one. He took a deep breath to FOCUS his thoughts.</p><p>Rather than fall into another daydream, he felt a dull haze wrapping around his mind. A better alternative than slipping into a daydream and losing touch with his surroundings, but only just. With no distractions to serve as a barrier, he felt anxiety churn in his gut. What was he still doing here? This was the chance he had been waiting for. Nobody was watching him; he could just slip away. Nobody would notice. Nobody would care. They would be better off once he was gone. He should just-</p><p>The sound of heels clacking on tiles snapped him out of the daze. The owner had stepped out from the door behind the counter and was walking down the aisles. Shit shit shit, she was walking towards <em>him</em>. He opened his mouth to warn the two, but his throat was clamped shut and his breathing was wrong. No time to try to talk… He needed a distraction and fast. ‘<em>Think, Sunny.’ </em>He thought to himself as the owner was now looking him in the eyes with a suspicious look in her eyes. <em>‘Come on, come on… Do something! </em>Anything!’</p><p>Sunny pulled the steak knife from out of his pocket.</p><p>The woman froze in place, and the two stared at each other in their own panic. Oh god, why did he do that? Was this what he had been reduced to? Pulling out a knife the second things get a little tough? No wonder he ended up in a gang. The woman’s eyes were darting back and forth from his eyes to the knife in his hands. Right, self-recrimination later, damage control now.</p><p>“Um… I found this…” He mumbled, unable to make eye contact. <em>‘Oh, now your voice works. Great job, idiot.’</em>  He opened his mouth to try to say more, but quickly shut it before he could make this worse… somehow. No going back now.</p><p>“You… found this?” The woman repeated, slowly relaxing the tension in her shoulders. She looked like she was still trying to decide if this weird kid in front of her was worth freaking out about. “And you’re telling me this because…?” She trailed off meaningfully. Right, OK Sunny. She’s giving you an out. Just don’t be an idiot and-</p><p>“Found it…in one of the candy bars…” He spoke haltingly, almost cringing at the words spilling out of his mouth. He looked up to meet her eyes and immediately went back to staring at his feet. Ugh, this is why he wanted to go to sleep. Omori never made stupid mistakes like this.</p><p>“You found a <em>knife</em>… in a <em>candy bar…</em>” Her tone was dead, and her face was emotionless. Sunny said nothing. The woman took a deep breath… “Candy Castle Inc. is not liable for any harmful products that may or may not be found in our products. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct all requests to our automated phone service. Our phone number can be found on the packaging of any of our many wonderful products. Please wait 6-8 weeks for a response from our highly trained staff. We value your patronage and hope you have a great day.” She rapidly said her piece and nearly jogged away towards the back of the store.</p><p>“I-”</p><p>“Can’t hear you! Smiley, smiley!” Her voice was cheery as she moved behind the counter and slammed the door. He thinks he might have heard the sound of a lock turning. Huh… Why was she more afraid of a lawsuit than someone pointing a knife at her? People are so confusing…</p><p>“Hey,” Sunny nearly jumped out of his own skin when he felt a large hand placed on his shoulder, but he recognized the voice from Vance. He turned around to see a Vance that looked… slightly lumpier than before, from all the candy he’d stuffed in his clothes. Angel looked like he was one candy piece away from his shirt bursting at the seams. “You good?” Vance asked. Sunny nodded, which got a grin from Vance. “Nice. Let’s get out of here.”</p><p>“Woo!” Angel threw his arms up, but quickly put them back down when several chocolate bars fell to the ground. He looked like he wanted to pick them up, but was unable to bend at the waist. Eventually he gave it up as a lost cause and waddled out of the shop with Vance.</p><p>Sunny hesitated for a moment, but then walked over and grabbed some of the fallen candy before walking out himself. The employee at the entrance gave him another suspicious look, but once again she didn’t say a word. Probably wasn’t being paid enough to deal with this. Sunny could respect saving energy for other stuff. He easily made it out of Othermart without issue and stood quietly next to the other two. They were in the middle of pawing through a large pile of stolen candy.</p><p>“Damn, that was a good haul!” Vance crowed while checking over their results. “I’m gonna have to bring you here more often if I can expect results like this every time, man.” Vance roughly patted his back, nearly sending him to the ground before he could catch himself. Internally, he hoped he never had to do that again. Externally, he gave a steady nod. The knife felt heavy in his pocket.</p><p>“So how are we splitting this up? I can’t take too much home, or my sister might actually murder me.” Angel said sheepishly. He looked like he was seriously regretting grabbing as much as he had. Sunny wasn’t sure he wanted any either, considering how rehearsed that speech about ‘harmful products’ in the candy had sounded earlier.</p><p>“Heh, don’t sweat it. You two just take whatever you want, and I’ll grab whatever’s left.” Vance said, smile not dropping once since they’d left. “Man… I’m gonna be eating this for <em>weeks</em> without Kim hogging all of it. I dunno where the hell she even puts it all! Have you seen her? She’s tiny! She’s barely taller than you, new guy!”</p><p>“You rat bastard.” A voice came from behind Vance, shortly before an arm snaked around his neck and put him in a chokehold. Vance quickly began to panic, but Angel just looked excited. “Betrayed by my own flesh and blood… Well? What do you have to say for yourself, huh?”</p><p>“<em>hurk” </em>Vance choked out, tapping urgently at her arm to try and get some air. Sunny idly wondered if he should be doing something, but Angel didn’t seem worried, so it must be fine. Not like Sunny could have done anything if he wanted to anyways. He was exhausted just thinking about intervening.</p><p>“So you have chosen death. Very well.” She let go of his neck, allowing him a second to get some precious air into his lungs… shortly before he doubled over wheezing from a heavy blow to the gut, falling to his knees a second later. Candy flew out of his pockets like he was nothing more than an extremely large piñata.</p><p>“Yoooo…” Angel whispered with sparkles in his eyes, stuffing his face with candy all the while. Sunny found himself agreeing; it was a very nice punch. The girl stepped away from Vance while dusting her hands, looking extremely satisfied with herself. She turned towards them and nodded once at Angel, but paused once she saw Sunny standing next to him.</p><p>“Who’s this…?” She trailed off while looking down at his pockets. Sunny looked down too and saw several candy bars peeking out of them. He looked back up to see the girl now grinning slightly at him. “My brother roped you into this too, huh? Guess that means you’re alright. Name’s Kim.” She nodded once, but made no move to shake his hand or anything like that. He was pathetically relieved for it.</p><p>“Sup Kim! What are you doing here?” Angel waved, slowing his consumption only slightly. Was it safe to eat that much? Sunny couldn’t remember how much food was normal to eat.</p><p>“Did you forget what day it was? Tonight’s a Gino’s night.” She pointed at the pizza shop just next door to Othermart. Angel ‘oooh’d and dropped the candy he was eating back into the pile. Kim rolled her eyes and bent over to scoop it into the backpack she was carrying. “So I know you’re coming, but what about him? You wanna come with us… uh, whatever your name is?” She flushed slightly upon realizing she’d never asked for his name.</p><p>Sunny considered that. <em>Did</em> he want to go? He supposed not. This had already been far more socializing than he was comfortable with. Besides, there was no way he’d be able to keep that kind of greasy food down. He opened his mouth to refuse, but his stomach answered before he could. Loudly.</p><p>“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me!” Angel cheered, throwing an arm around Sunny’s shoulder again and dragging him towards Gino’s. Kim snorted, but she didn’t refute it. Vance… well, Vance was still trying to catch his breath, but he probably wouldn’t have said anything anyways. Looks like the choice was taken from him once again. Betrayed by his own flesh and blood… He was never making it back to bed, was he?</p><p>
  <em>‘…Then why do I feel relieved?’</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>IT WAS A MOVING ATTACK!</p><p>Hi everyone! Thanks for reading, as always. I gotta say, this fic got... quite a bit more attention than I was expecting. I'm glad though, because this fic has been fun to write. Aubrey is next chap, for all who have been waiting for her! Not much to say here, so see you next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gino’s was exactly how he remembered it… and by that, he meant that he honestly didn’t remember much about it. Still, it seemed right; it had tables and smelled like pizza, so it was probably a pizzeria. Good detective skills, Sunny. Come to think of it, didn’t this place used to sell sandwiches too? Wouldn’t that just make it a restaurant? At what point does a pizzeria cross that line and cease to be?</p><p>While Sunny had his existential crisis over pizza shop naming conventions, Angel dragged him to a table in the back where two occupants sat across from each other. He grumbled something about seating before politely, yet firmly, shoving Sunny into a chair and walking off.</p><p>Despite showing no outward reaction, he wasn’t numb to the curious stares of the table’s other occupants. The one across from him seemed exhausting, so he started with his next-door neighbor.</p><p>Vance was a big guy, but this girl made him look like a child… It was almost comical how small she made someone like Sunny look. Despite her clear ability to easily snap Sunny in half, she had this sort of… aura of peacefulness around her. Sunny imagined multicolored birds perching on her shoulders as she sat, while deer grazed around her… and it didn’t feel remotely out of place. He chose to let those hallucinations stay. They were cute.</p><p>For a long moment, they did nothing but stare at each other. He wondered what sort of conclusions she was reaching over him, but he couldn’t read her face. He vowed to be more unreadable than her. The girl’s poker face was truly impressive, but Sunny was confident his lack of people skills would see him through.</p><p>The moment was broken by the grating sound of a chair being dragged across the floor, followed by the owner shouting something about scratches. Sunny and his neighbor quietly watched Angel as he dragged a chair between him and the girl, then quickly seated himself. He grinned once at the girl, then at Sunny, and then he was back to talking about something that Sunny had no earthly understanding of like he’d never stopped. Sunny met the girl’s eyes over Angel’s head. She nodded once, and Sunny nodded back.</p><p>She seemed nice.</p><p>“Greetings, my taciturn young peer!” Sunny’s attention was dragged to the other unnamed occupant. His voice was loud, but his appearance was even louder. “What brings someone as circumlocutious as yourself to this place of dining?” He dramatically flipped his bangs, which left his… wig sitting crooked. Couldn’t he just dye his hair? Also, Sunny was… pretty certain those words weren’t being used right. Did people suddenly start talking like that in the last 2 years? Had he lost touch with his own generation?</p><p>“He’s asking why you’re here… I think.” Kim chimed in as she took her seat. Vance was putting an order in from across the shop… he looked like he was still in pain. “Angel picked him up, Mav. Vance vouched for him too. Doesn’t talk much, though.” She explained distractedly while she tapped away on her phone.</p><p>“Indeed? How portmanteau! In that case, you may refer to myself as The Maverick from henceforth!” ‘The Maverick’ spread his arms out and gave Sunny a painful-looking smile… Painful for everyone. Sunny resolved then and there that he was never going to call him that, even if it meant staying mute forever.</p><p>“…Charlie…” The girl to his right quietly introduced herself.</p><p>Sunny nodded.</p><p>Charlie nodded.</p><p>Angel nodded. He never stopped talking as he did so.</p><p>Conversation came easily from then on. Vance returned after a bit and sat next to Kim, and they talked about a church for some reason. ‘The Maverick’ talked with Angel about… Well, he tuned them out, so who knows. Charlie stoically observed the group, attracting several more false woodland critters as she did so. Sunny nearly reached out to pet one, before he remembered they weren’t actually there.</p><p>As for Sunny, he found himself wondering about the empty seat to his left as conversation flowed around him. Normally he would think it was simply an extra chair, but then why would Angel bother with dragging a chair from another table over?</p><p>All signs pointed to one troubling conclusion… There was still someone Sunny had yet to meet. <em>Ugh</em>. Hadn’t he met enough people today? Granted, he never actually introduced himself to them, but it was still exhausting! Man, what he wouldn’t give to avoid meeting <em>another</em> new person…</p><p>“Hey Aubrey, you finally made it!” Kim yelled across the restaurant. Sunny’s head spun towards the entrance so fast he was surprised he didn’t hurt himself. The sight of unfamiliar pink hair and blue eyes caused him to relax, but it was short lived. Even with all those changes, he was indisputably looking at his old childhood friend.</p><p>“What the fuck,” Aubrey spoke, shock plain on her face. Sunny felt much the same. However, the longer she stared at him, the angrier she turned. Well… he couldn't say this part was unexpected, at least. She must really hate him. As if to punctuate that thought, Aubrey stomped straight towards him, grabbed him by the back of his shirt, then roughly dragged him out of the shop. Sunny went limp, like a kitten being carried by the scruff of its neck.</p><p>The position gave him a perfect view of everyone’s shocked expressions, although there was a fair amount of worry on them too. Sunny languidly waved goodbye as he was dragged through the door and outside. They seemed nice. It would be rude of him not to say his goodbyes.</p><p>Being dragged down the sidewalk was decidedly less comfortable on his back than the floor of Gino’s, but it was actually kind of nice to cover this much ground without having to walk. He could get used to this. Unfortunately, he was forced to reassess this opinion when they suddenly stopped moving so that Aubrey could roughly toss him in front of her. Ow.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing here, Sunny?” Aubrey grit out while she stared down at him. Sunny didn’t actually know how to answer that; What <em>was</em> he doing here? He was so tired… As he continued not saying anything, Aubrey’s frustration grew increasingly obvious. “It’s been <em>two years</em> since you left your house, and the first thing you do is try to start shit with my new friends? What is wrong with you?!”</p><p>Oh, it was just a misunderstanding. He just needed to explain that this was all a mistake and then he could go back home and pretend this never happened. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but his mouth felt like it was sewn shut. After all… why should he explain? Wasn’t this what he deserved? Whatever the reason, Aubrey clearly hated him now. Just the thought of it left a painfully sick feeling in his gut, and he reveled in the sensation.</p><p>“Answer me, god damn it!” Sunny was hoisted up the front of his shirt and held up with his feet just scraping the ground. “What, you too good for me now?” She shook him around a bit to illustrate her point, but Sunny just stared at her face, trying to make sense of her expression. “Fucking… say something! Just… talk to me!” Tears were sprouting in the corners of her eyes now. “Why won’t you answer me…? Please… Just…”</p><p>Sunny looked away, unable to keep looking at her. Aubrey was no longer saying anything, just raggedly breathing in and out. This was no longer enjoyable. It didn’t matter how he felt, but he never wanted to hurt his friends like this. He needed to leave, to go back home and never-</p><p>“Uh, Aubrey?” A familiar voice came from behind Aubrey. Sunny craned his neck slightly to look over Aubrey’s shoulder, where Vance was awkwardly shuffling around and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else. From behind him, the rest of the group could be seen as they poorly pretended not to be eavesdropping.</p><p>“Not now, Vance. I’m in the middle of something.” Her voice was remarkably steady, considering how obviously fake it was if you could see her expression. Aubrey still had the exact opposite problem that Sunny had with his expressions, even after all these years.</p><p>“Yeah, uh… I heard. You were… kinda yelling. A lot.” He chuckled slightly, and winced immediately after as he realized he wasn’t helping. Vance was a pretty awkward guy, huh? “Listen, I think you might have the wrong idea about all this.”</p><p>“Spit it out, Vance.” Aubrey grit out, but she didn’t look ready to snap anymore. Vance looked back into Gino’s like he was contemplating going back in, but something he saw inside had him face forward with a pale face.</p><p>“It’s just, uh… Well, you said you’re pissed at him because he was starting shit with us, but he hasn’t been?” He sounded unsure, but his tone gained confidence as he continued. “Yeah, he’s been with me all afternoon and Angel all morning, and he hasn’t tried to make trouble. Hasn’t said a damn word all day, actually. Hell, I don’t even know his name.” Vance laughed, and to his credit it only sounded a little strained.</p><p>“It’s Sunny…” Aubrey said distractedly, as she closely studied Sunny’s face for something. Whatever it was she found, it was enough for her to let go of him and turn towards Vance. “…Gimme a minute to talk to him,” Aubrey spoke with unknown emotion heavy in her voice. Vance still looked worried. “Just talking. Promise.” Vance relaxed, gave Sunny a thumbs up, then walked back inside. He felt oddly touched at the assistance.</p><p>Sunny and Aubrey watched him go back inside, neither one saying a word. Idly, he wondered if this was just a ruse to get him alone to continue the beating… but he didn’t think Aubrey cared if people saw that. Just as he was considering standing and leaving while her back was turned, she turned back to him. The glare she sent him was lesser than before, but still packing some impressive heat behind it.</p><p>“…Yeah, I should’ve figured you weren’t starting trouble; That’s more Kel’s thing. You’ve always been the kind of person to just go with the flow, haven’t you?” Sunny agreed with that remark. Aubrey used to say she liked that about him, but he had a feeling she’d changed her mind since then. “Content to just let the world slip on by while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves, right?” She mockingly asked.</p><p>Sunny didn’t have anything to say that, so he stayed silent. After all, that was the truth, wasn’t it? When did he ever think about others? He had never done anything for anyone else.</p><p>“Fuck…” Aubrey let out an explosive sigh, snapping him out of his thoughts. “…If you want to hang with us, then… I guess that’s fine.” She reached out a hand for him to grab, and he simply stared in confusion.</p><p>She… wasn’t going to make him leave? <em>Why</em>? He didn’t understand. As he stared at the outstretched hand, it felt like the simple gesture carried far more meaning than he could grasp. He knew Aubrey wasn’t trying to convey those feelings, but he felt them nonetheless. He should just leave now. Just get up and go back home, where he could be alone like he deserved. And yet…</p><p>He took the hand. He was roughly pulled up into a standing position, feeling hundreds of conflicting emotions at once. Why had he done that? As he tried to come to terms with his choice, Aubrey gripped his shoulder and fixed him with a sharp glare.</p><p>“Don’t think this means I’m not pissed at you, Sunny. You don’t get to just show up after 2 years of ignoring us and then act like everything is OK, you got it?” She tightened her grip on his shoulder, making it clear she was looking for an answer. He found himself nodding without even realizing he was doing it. Scary. Her glare lessened once he answered her. “…We’ll talk about it later, OK? Let’s just get some food for now. I’m <em>starving</em>.”</p><p>Sunny nodded once more, receiving a rough pat between his shoulder blades. The miniscule force nearly sent him back to the pavement, but he converted it to forward momentum in the nick of time. Energy efficient, that was him. He walked back towards the pizzeria, not even considering leaving anymore, but paused when he noticed Aubrey hadn’t moved. She was standing up from a bent over position, with something small that he couldn’t quite see wrapped in her hand.</p><p>“Sunny, you…” She trailed off, looking between him and her closed fist several times. Sunny waited patiently for her to resume talking, but she just shoved her hand into her pocket and quietly caught up to him. He considered asking what all that was about, but the scowl on her face dissuaded him from that course of action.</p><p>Scary…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi everyone! It is 6 AM as I post this. I probably should have waited until morning to edit it with fresh eyes, but fuck it, you know? I'm sure it's fine. And if not, well...</p><p>Anyways, thanks for reading! See you guys next chapter!</p>
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